22 Myths Gynecologists Want You to Ignore

Expert ob-gyns debunk popular myths about women's health—how many of these have you heard?

“It takes three months after stopping birth control to be fertile”

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“Despite this popular myth, as soon as a woman is not using a contraceptive method, she is fertile. It can take up to one year to conceive but as far as the pill is concerned, a woman is fertile as soon as she stops taking it.” Veronica Gillispie, MD, obstetrics and gynecology department at Ochsner Baptist Medical Center in New Orleans, Louisiana

“The pull-n-pray method works”

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“Withdrawal is not an effective method of birth control. The reality is that there are sperm in the pre-ejaculate and all it takes is one sperm to become pregnant!” Diana Ramos, MD, ob-gyn, co-chair of the National Preconception Health and Health Care Initiative

“IUDs are dangerous”

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“Intrauterine devices [a device implanted in the uterus to prevent pregnancy, most commonly the Mirena or Paraguard] get a bad rap as being dangerous. The truth is modern IUDs are the safest and most effective form of temporary birth control methods that we have. Progesterone containing IUDs, like the Mirena, also can actually reduce pain and bleeding with a woman’s menstrual period.” Richard K. Krauss, MD